New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-08-28
SELLING A DORY.
WITH GLIdPsES OF HOUSES OF MOURNING
AND OF FEASTING.

se,I our dorv We do not expect to need 1t when we
10 where thore ia water In the form OF ponds OF
oceans. When bought 1t tho man VINO SOLD IL I"
Us SAID n the best dory on tho whole coast lhere
want no such q craft anywhere In North America IL
would 20 itself, and even women would find it hard
work to tip 1t OVER IL not new It had been used
two seasons, but that made it moro valuable. why
said The man with whom bargaining aid ruth "
hev a dory that had been in service; and wouldn
tell you so II 'twant dory Is Ike horse, IL
better after It's broke In some You pcm women so'
I'd tell We II this boat had outs. 1t amt got no
outs II you men, might try dodse with yo'
but you don't kech have no bargains with women
that Amt square n above board. amt that kind Of
a Teller. You needn't buy this dory now. Think IL
over Ask NEIL There's Capn Asol this minute
Ask him II ever a man knew bout dorles, he's the
man."
We turned and thero Cap'n Asel stamping
along toward the wharf salt Pond whore wo stood
We did not think that had ever met with snch
cando such transparent honesty as belonged 70 THIS
owner of tho dory. At his request Cap Asei 10
boriously examined tho boat, and finally announcer
that If VIC got that dory at tho price charged Tor IT,
Wa should get 1t cheap as a h9r1n. We knew nothing
whatever about Che tho dory ought TO cost bh'
whero should lind honor moro undiIuted than hcre
We did not know as much then, soon after our arrival
at the south shore, We do now. We bought inc
dory and paid for 1t then and there. We cxultihg!
told Marsh Yates ard his wifo about our Purehhso
they said haa paid three times too much; ano
Marsh even oxerted himself TO 20 out Of his way 10
give the man BLOWN up alt don't do no good
no told me afterwaId, "only relieves my feelln's'
And old Capn Asel got 70 cents for sayin' what ne
did He's done that kind o. thing to greenhorns
afore' n Of he warnt lame I'D fog him. Cap n Aseis
q kind Of cuss anyway. There no IL now
How Teller with crutches DO everywher to onco
passes me-"
This was when bought the dory. Now, as tho
time approaches for departure, wish to sell,
and We have Just been to tho man OF whom We pur-
chased. We offered the boat for two thirds OF the
sum we paid and had spent 81 so for repairs within
two days after It became ours.
The man was extremely Indifferent. lie straddlcd
about, and pushed the dory, and finally said he guessed
he didn't want to buy "1was comm winter ID
he had more dores n he wanted now" We asked
him TO make US an OFFER OF course he know we'll
did that We must got lid OF 1t at somo price
AS wo walked down to tho wharf my friend and had
agreed To accept any sum, and consider tho whole
transaction a dead loss that no ono could cheat
us out of the delightful hours had spent Al that
old craft tho pond
"lho long and tho short of 1t is," said the man,
this dory about tho poorest ono there Is on
the ridge"
1.-TWO months ago. said Carlos "you told us 1t was
the best dory in North America"
The fellow grnned.
"Oh, wall" he responded, you've ben usin' 1t
over sencc amt yer And women is awful hard on
dores. IL man he'd he'd this. 80 see, could ahoru
TO give tlo suthin for t. Anyway sn II lev to keep
1t over Til spring What 40 you caikilato 1t
with AS said folks Is mighty shy Of buyin' boats
as have belonged to women folks. Id know why
tbs. But IT'S fact. Tho lshermon say round here
that any Kind Of craft has ben owned by females
gts unreliable, Kind OF II IL be dead loss to me
II 1 buy this But i should like to oommydate
"a hat do call 4
Again told him to mako US an onor. AMER
stopping clumslly back and forth on tho wharf, aud
chewing spears of salt hay this creature finally
preamble. II amazed Iut what could We do
My friend and Intercepted each other shenlly with
this result. ] amazed the by telling him the
wa, his saw HE little cunning han. bee. sy"s ysI Pa an
feminine, but lOnged for the satisfaction OF kicking
him. Of seeing sonic ono else Kick him VIC turned
away: but Carlos back She said aftorward that
she had never before known what II wa TO want to
scratch any one, and that she knew thon what cat
II wish to tell you. Mr.. Toiman." she said. "that
we intend to como down here every year Tor years
cheated Us reasonably this time you would havo had
q chance to cheat each season. We know you arc
a old man. and wen tell every stranger what
Mr. Toman flushed somewhat under his grlzzlod
beard which grew nearly to his eyes, II" TOOK up
We heard him LAY that twas comm winter n ho
ha Ss' on o s1 s sc 'f SSg no ca glad
spoke the truth to him."
:" IL hasn't dono him any good" said .
ait has done good, which f. more TO the
purpose, her answer "Nort season We ii put our
money in steam launch:-we shouldn't spend
since this transaction we have heard that Mr..
Toiman has sold tho boat the sccond tune, for half
the gavo him int Tho purchaser Is man
who means to use IL as help In shooung coOte III
old Tonan Will buy It back again and have 1t ready
for another sale next summer We wished thd wo
might know whether this dory proved particularly
unreliable, whether II had escaped tho consequence
OF ownership.
Astl whOn. OI cour,e we inot on our way back ~ tie
tent. lie stopped US and began to toll how Maria
Jsne was a nghun' agIn PrOvlunce obo wouldn't
see tho minister from over tho road. The minister
called there this mOInin n Maria thet ito door On
they couldn't git Marsh alive asin. She didn't wan,
nothin' but her husband and him she couldn't have
Hero Capn Ascl interrupted himself TO ask II we
didn't think twas uncommon good funeril. lilo
on he had expected she seemed kinder like II she
lad thnk sho took It hard them
erutches swung him beside His leather face looked
moro alvo than | had ever seen It. lie had been
absolutely enjoying tho awfllness OF tho death u
Marsh Yatos, ana tho suffering Of tho willow this
en- oym mont had been great to put tnne OF
imation into oven his coUptoEanco did not know
but he would wink at me as sign Of mutual salts
cvIlly to him and could not endure his presence a
longer
We woro near tho YATES house on the ridge, and
shouted after us to say lie "b1eved we'd sold our
dory. and did we GIT good price for til" but We
gave him reply
We hesitated somewhat before we entered this |
house which had given us shelter first night
at Stony Beach There tho mermaid In her shabby |
gilt There were clam shells scattered about in tho
sand among the stunted weeds. The place looked
deserted but we wcro SUM Maria Jano tborc.
We went round TO the back OF tho house where was
the big kettle for boiling lobstors. one OF Marsh's
old hats was lying near, and a pair OF enormous
rubber boots with large gaps In tho sides. on limo
stretched from corner OF tho house to polo driven
into the sand hung two dapidated red flannel shirts
We knew that Maria Jane must have washed thom
to day and put them there.
Greatly TO our surprise wo saw that n white pony
with a side saddle his back was hitched to tho
clothes line pole
No opened the back door gently and walked I'm. still
with a fear In hearts that MIGHT no lntrudng
Tho could not look more bare than Il had when
first saw 1t but II could and did look more desolae.
Maria Jane sitting perfectly still In OF
the chairs: she did not look round when entered
,lOse by her n box Of some kind, was Lily Rankin
holding the woman's hand tightly In both her own
Ter checks still wet with her tears. her hair Hung
lightly about her face.